Tuning an O'Day 25

[Ward H]

Question for you guys racing or trying to get the most out of your 25.
Do you run the genoa sheets back to the track that runs along the cockpit combing or have you installed new tracks to replace the stand up block?
I've always heard the stock standup blocks were too far forward but the combing mounted track was too far back for anything but a 150.

 

[Indysailor]

Once the breeze is up, a blade jib is the weapon of choice. Everyone with genoas will be trying to deal with excess pressure. Our F260 has a non-overlapping rig, so jib only. In very light air it sucks racing, but every boat on the lake fears us in 15+ knots. That's called a 'BlueJ day' on Lake Minnetonka. Overall, best performance comes from matching your head-sail to expected conditions, with the proviso that you do so for the lulls/average, and deal with the puffs. Modern raceboats are almost all non-overlapping jib-only affairs, so this choice goes away. Only down-side is the a fore mentioned problem with racing in very light airs. But on older genoa boats like a oday 25, switching down to a blade in breeze will pay huge dividends.

This. Once I start to read 15-16 mph apparent, I know I'll struggle going upwind with my 135 Genoa, even with the blocks moved back and a reefed main. I'll find I need to point higher to maintain a sailable heeling angle, but it really feels like it's slow and the wind is not really attaching to the headsail effectively, so I just settle back to as close as I can sail while feeling like the boat is under control. I'm saving up to buy a jib, betting the boat will be faster upwind when I get to that threshold.